Music students benefit from the opportunity to learn, practice and present their offerings before professional educators / musicians in a competitive arena. Overall performances are rated and appropriate medals and/or ribbons awarded. Throughout the process, students garner corrective feedback and accolades; and as a result, programs are showcased and acknowledged, teaching is refined and performance is strengthened. Can you imagine a similar implementation for visual artists?
The AEI Middle School Division is currently developing a visual art event that mirrors the music format while upholding the standards of excellence long established for art students and programs. On May 16, 2009, the middle school division took action to move this idea towards reality by sponsoring a Mock Event.
Six jurors (Mike Burgher, Pam Muench, Chris Noel, David Pratt, Sara Schaefer and Carol Web) and twelve Ames Middle School students participated in a Mock Visual Art Event for the purpose of both introducing and instigating dialogue about how such might be organized and be beneficial for our association members and profession. With unanimous positive feedback and the AEI Board’s wish to move forward, the middle school division will move to the next phase by organizing a pilot event for the upcoming 2009-2010 academic year.
Ames will be the host site for the 2010 pilot to be held in late April or early May. The pilot event will be open to sixth through eighth grade students of AEI members. However, as a pilot, members will be limited to the number of works submitted. (This number will be dependent upon the number of schools / teachers participating.) All interested educators are encouraged to contact the event director (and Middle Division Chair), Cappie Dobyns, by late October, 2009. Her contact information can be found on the AEI website.
AEI’s participating pilot teachers will have an opportunity to join in purposeful professional development during the fall of 2009 as the event philosophy, procedures, operational logistics and evaluative rubrics must be reviewed and refined. Interested competition observers are also welcomed. And, while professional growth experiences are beneficial for any educator, participation in the pilot promises to offer leadership opportunities for those wishing to volunteer in any capacity as we move through pilot practice and eventual statewide implementation. So please, give this invitation serious consideration.
With the eventual implementation of this type of competitive event, no longer will students vie only for available wall space. The (yet unnamed) middle school visual art event promises to provide a standard of excellence for both students and programs to attain as well as encourage continued development in the visual arts.
Middle Level Representative, AEI Board